Aspiring doctor rewarded

Eleven-year-old, Farzana Bacchus seems like any other pupil who has performed well at the 2018 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations – ready to take the next step in achieving her dream of being a doctor.

Earning 505 marks to attend St. Rose’s High School, the aspiring medical practitioner was one of the students granted a scholarship by the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (C.I.O.G) to study at the Ali Ghazali Islamic Academy after the death of her father.

According to Farzana, her achievement is one that she will cherish since there were sacrifices made to earn placement at St. Roses High School. “I am very proud of myself because I did work really hard, for example, studying without watching television, to come to this point.”

Farzana noted that while there will always be distractions, the key to succeeding is to adopt disciplined study habits and to always focus on the task. “Next year’s examination might come a bit harder than this year so I suggest that my brothers and sisters study even harder and focus purely on your books and yourself. Set yourself in such a way that you are able to understand what is being taught and if not, ask lots of questions,” she advised.

In 2002, the CIOG established a programme to provide vulnerable children and orphans with the opportunity to acquire an education. Under the organization tenure, Al Ghazali Islamic Academy and the Meten-Meer-Zorg Islamic Academy recorded passes in the top 200 of the recent examination.